About Me:
The first meal I ever “cooked,” at the age of three, was a peanut butter sandwich. I still love good food, and in 2007 I launched Blondie & Brownie with my close friend. Our blog chronicles our friendship and experiences with food, whether we’re cooking or discovering wonderful new things to eat in the city and beyond. My first encounter with Peanut Butter & Co. was over a decade ago, on a pre-college admissions trip to NYU, and I’ve been hooked ever since. When I’m not in the kitchen or posting about my eating adventures, I enjoy traveling, swimming, and photography.

Recipes Posted by Brownie:

Sometime around July, when we start getting into the real dog days of summer, I lose my desire to cook (or eat) hot food. It’s like my internal thermometer suddenly hits “gazpacho and salad season” and there’s no turning back until the fall. These Thai inspired lettuce wraps are a quick and easy dish to prepare, perfect light fare for picnics or barbecues. The sauce is an adaptation of my mother-in-law’s fantastic peanut sate sauce that she learned from a Thai cook in Tokyo. The recipe makes more than enough for the wraps and dipping and once you try it you’ll be glad you have extra to keep in the fridge for dipping.

Hot Cross Buns are a traditional Easter-time yeast leavened bun. Unfortunately a good Hot Cross Bun can be hard to track down. The ones you find at the store tend to be loaded with high fructose corn syrup, plenty of unpronounceable preservatives, and gummy dried candied fruit pieces best left to great aunt Millie’s fruitcake. My quest for a tasty Hot Cross Bun led me to the kitchen. Out went the red and green dyed citrus pieces and in went plump mixed raisins and for a twist, peanut butter. Fresh from the oven these buns are soft, sweet, and delicious and make for a perfect breakfast on Easter morning.

Peanut butter, honey, bananas, bourbon and bacon, an unorthodox combination, sure, but it makes for a cake fit for a king, specifically the King of Rock and Roll. I’ve been a fan of the Elvis sandwich–bananas, honey, peanut butter and bacon grilled on a sandwich since college when I first tried it at Peanut Butter and Co.’s sandwich shop in Greenwich Village. A couple of years ago, I decided to whip up some Elvis-inspired cupcakes in honor of my friend and fellow blogger, Rachel of Cupcakes Take the Cake’s birthday. I created a moist banana cake and topped it with a nice peanut butter buttercream frosting and plenty of candied bacon “sprinkles.” Since then I’ve improved upon the recipe and adapted it into a truly decadent banana triple layer cake made with bourbon, fried bananas, plenty of those bacon sprinkles and chopped peanuts. Warning: this cake is habit forming. Serve with a glass of cold milk (or a shot of stiff bourbon) and enjoy with your favorite Elvis album. Happy Birthday to the King!

I love Massaman Curry because it’s super easy to make and it just gets more flavorful with time. Sometimes I’ll make an extra big batch to ensure that I’ll have leftovers that I can whip into a pot pie. Traditional Massaman Curry has potato chunks, but with this recipe the potatoes take the form of a hearty mashed potato topping. The creamy mashed potatoes and richly peanutty curry make for a great twist on a classic cold-weather meal that’s both quick and intensely satisfying.

The first dish I ever “cooked” by myself was a peanut butter sandwich. I was three years old at the time. My mom had gone to visit an elderly neighbor and my dad was busy reading something for work. He promised to make me dinner soon, but “soon” wasn’t soon enough, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. Using the kitchen cabinet drawer handles as a ladder, I climbed up onto the counter and pulled out my special plastic purple plate. Then I grabbed the […]